


The Long Game

by blair_bitch_project



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora is a gay mess, Alternate Universe - College/University, And it's stopping at every station, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catra is smug, Catradora get shut in a room full of angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Glimmer has had enough of their shit, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Slow Build, The gay trope train is BACK, catradora, kind of comedic?, sorry for the sin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:55:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24678034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blair_bitch_project/pseuds/blair_bitch_project
Summary: College AU where Catra and Adora are rival soccer team captains. They hate eachother but they're also gay for eachother. They get locked in a room overnight and have to actually confront their feelings. It's a big gay mess. (They're both big gay messes actually). Slightly humorous? Eventual smut for all you sinners.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 413





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second ever fic and took me over a year (on and off) to write so please let me know what you think my dudes. Hope you enjoy!

_Waves. Waves in a murky, choppy ocean. The sun, more blinding than glittering, with a thousand shades of gold. Adora smiles as her eyes focus on the glistening pupils inches from her face. It’s morning. She knows these eyes so well already; intimately well and Adora can’t help but think it’s incredible that they’re so close to her face and at the same time so soft. She’s so used to facing them as they’re sharpened by anger, frustration, determination. A thirst for success. She wants to see these eyes like this all the time. All soft edges and full of admiration._

_Not fury._

_Not hatred._

_Something toeing the line but the blatant opposite. Sculpted from clay rather than chiselled from marble. She craves the love she can sense in them._

_And then warm lips are touching hers, searching for a response and she shuts her eyes and sighs into the kiss. She’d have time to look at those eyes later._

_For now, she had a game to play._

_—————_

“Take the fucking corner Blondie!”

Adora groaned and sighed, hammering her brow into a glare and directing it at Glimmer with pinpointed accuracy. 3-1 down on goals and her best friend was still pushing her to make up numbers in the last five minutes. Adora wiped the soaking hair out of her eyes with a muddy hand. This had been a terrible game; torrential rain and all out war between teams for ninety agonising minutes (“well, technically eighty five” Adora corrected herself) and still no sign of success for Etheria’s team.

She could barely make out the figures in the other team through the blanket of back-slamming rain clouding the pitch but Adora knew they would be out there, shadowing her players, aggravating and taunting them further. She eyed up the soccer ball in front of her feet, ready to be tapped into the centre of the pitch. If she could nudge it off of Glimmer then maybe, just _maybe_ they would be able to push it through the other team’s defence and land it into the box, ready to be scored. Etheria were two players down already due to somewhat speculated fighting on the pitch, (though Adora had no clue how the ref had worked out who started on who in these conditions) but they still had two solid strikers out there who Adora knew she could rely on.

Besides, out there in the midfield was the centreback position-hopping nightmare who’d been making Adora’s job as team captain even harder this game. The notorious Horde team captain Catra. Kicking the ball into her territory would be risky to say the least but if Glimmer had ownership of the ball for a few seconds Adora reckoned she could sprint out and have control before Catra could stick her studs in.

“JESUS DINGUS, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? TAKE IT! ” Came a shout from a grey and red uniformed Horde team member. Adora rolled her eyes, took a few running steps backward and ran back at the ball, slamming her foot on its underside and sending a spray of mud up with it on its trajectory to Glimmer.

It was like a firecracker had been set off- figures were everywhere, and a cacophony of futile shouts lost in the rain as Adora sprinted cross-pitch to the centre, hoping Glimmer would fire the ball back at her. She was skidding on mud, praying her studs would keep her upright as she shouldered past a left-wing Horde member to where she hoped was the centre of the pitch, though she had no way of telling with all of the markings turned to muddy slush.

“ON YOU BLONDIE” came a muffled shout from Adora’s side, and then the ball was flying at her. She took a breath through her nose and jumped, catching it on her chest and letting it drop to her feet. A quick look to her right identified that one of the Horde’s heavy hitters, Lonnie, was headed her way, so Adora ran and glanced around furiously, weaving around the midfielders coming at her. There. Just visible was the green and blue uniform of her midfielder Perfuma, and Adora chipped the ball in her direction, hoping to 1-2 it to the penalty box. 

As Adora shouldered the Horde’s huge left-wing, Scorpia, out of the way, she noticed a round of shouting from behind her. She cast a glance over her shoulder as she ran but there was no sign of trouble and seemingly no sign of Catra. The team captain allowed herself a small sigh of relief as the ball came sliding out of the sheet of rain back to her, and she neatly caught it on the inside of her foot. She could see the shadow of the goal starting to make itself known to her and the defence dotted around it. Her strikers were in there somewhere but the whole box was a shambles, the two teams shoving eachother around in anger and jostling for control. She would just have to try and take this herself. There was mud and rain slicking her shins and spraying up her back as she ran but she kept her grip and ploughed through, expertly weaving and dodging the attack of the Horde’s defence until the goal was at an obtainable distance.

She was just cueing up to take a dive towards the goal when there was a sharp cry from Glimmer upfield, and just as Adora turned her head, her legs were wiped out from under her.

She didn’t have time to register much apart from the sharp tilt of the world and then her chin smacking the muddy ground beneath her as she hit the floor. A scrawny figure landed on top of her in a sprawl of limbs and when Adora had blinked away the white spots in front of her eyes she could see the ball sailing back up to her end of the pitch. She scrambled for purchase and with a roar wrestled the red uniformed player off of her, wiping the hair and mud from her eyes.

Catra. Of course it was. She should have been paying more attention to where the sly Horde captain had been. It was a blatant foul but there was no whistle from the referee, and Adora heard a shout as the Horde scored another goal up her end of the field. 

That was the final straw. 

The two girls pulled themselves upright, smothered in mud and seething. Adora whirled around, drawn face to face with Catra’s smug expression. 

“What the FUCK was that Catra?” She snapped, shoving the shorter girl in the chest. The Horde captain’s expression faltered and she drew herself in close to Adora, pushing their faces close together.

“Oh what? Sorry I didn’t see you there Adora. Guess I might’ve tripped you up.”

“You’re WINNING you fucking idiot. There was no need to foul me.”

“Ref seems to think it was perfectly fine though” Catra said with a grin, holding her hands up and turning away from Adora. Adora’s stomach flipped and she grabbed Catra by the shoulder, forcing them back face to face again.

“You’re ridiculous.” Adora spat

“Did that dissertation take long to write itself?” Catra calmly replied, cocking an eyebrow. “I’d be surprised if you could even spell ridiculous, judging by how well you can stay upright Blondie.”

Somewhere upfield the end of the match whistle screeched.

It was like a gun firing at the start of a race; Adora seemed to flip, so enraged by Catra’s nonchalance and the ninety minutes of hell she’d been through that all she could feel was a burning rage tearing at her head and taking control of her limbs like magma.

“FUCK YOU CATRA!”

And then she was tackling the Horde captain to the floor in a tangle of bodies and trying to ignore the burning in the back of her mind as Catra grabbed her wrists and held them away from her, preventing Adora from doing any damage. It didn’t take long before Glimmer was ensnaring her by the waist and screaming at her to calm down and dragging her off the pitch. As she was pulled away she took one last enraged look at Catra and was faced by a difference in the cold, harsh eyes she was used to seeing. Was it concern, worry? Upset? And then Scorpia was offering Catra a hand, and she was back to normal, laughing and pulling herself upright without a second glance back to Adora.


	2. Chapter 2

“All I’m saying,” Glimmer sighed in exasperation “is that you’re lucky the whistle blew when it did, cause that could have landed us in some serious trouble. You’re not the only person on this team Adora.”

Adora sighed and stared at the floor in embarrassment, roughly squeezing the water out of her hair with a hand towel. She could feel Glimmer’s glare on her but didn’t look up, just speedily rolled her towel up and draped it around her neck.

“I’m sorry Glimmer” Adora eventually spoke up, standing up from her bench in the locker room “I just can’t deal with her smug face any more. One whole season I’ve dealt with Catra on top of all my college work and now we’re neck and neck on the points table because they spent the whole game cheating. The final’s gonna be a bloodbath.” 

Glimmer raised her eyebrows and hummed in approval, pulling on her pumps.

“You’re not wrong there. You just need to stop throwing yourself at Catra, Adora. You both do it… an unnatural amount.” Adora cast Glimmer a sidelong glance.

“Don’t you start.”

“HEY, you gotta admit it’s kinda strange. Like there’s clearly some kinda chemistry going on between you two. Though somewhat dysfunctional at this point…”

Adora spluttered.

“I would NEVER. Catra’s the enemy. I tried to fight her today, if that comes across as some stupid crush to you then you need to have a serious think about how relationships are meant to work.”

Glimmer raised her eyebrows sceptically but didn’t respond. She picked her muddy boots off of the floor and headed toward the showers, shouting back to Adora as she went. 

“Whatever you say Adora, but you better sort this temper out before the final. Oh, and lighten up a bit; we need you on form for Bow’s end-of-the-season team head to head tonight.”

With that Glimmer left, leaving Adora stood alone in the locker room; dripping mud and rainwater onto the floor and shivering.

‘Shit’ Adora thought to herself as she packed up her sports bag. She’d totally forgotten that Bow’s annual college team tournament was happening tonight.

Every year, Bow held a 100% illegal, 100% for fun game in the college grounds for both of the girls soccer teams to go head to head on. It didn’t count for anything in the soccer league (mainly because the college had no idea these games went on) but they did get the bragging rights to being that year’s winner of the secret games. 

Last year Bow had left clues over the college that both teams had to follow in order to reach him. Adora’s team had found him first but it was easier said than done because both teams had gotten incredibly drunk before the event even started. This year, and especially after today’s match, Adora needed the win.

She’d just have to make sure Catra didn’t get there first.

——————

Bow’s event wasn’t scheduled to start until 10:30 that night, so once Adora was back to her room on the campus she had plenty of time on her hands. She sighed and dumped her sports bag on the apartment floor and unfortunately caught sight of herself in her mirror. She was still in her uniform and was soaking wet, bedraggled and coated in mud, from her shins to her face. She hated looking this tragic. She was a team captain, not a muddy drowned rat. It was definitely time for a shower. 

Adora liked her showers fiercely hot. She needed the water hot enough that it’d steam up her shower and scald her skin, and that’s exactly what she did today. She tilted her head up and let the water hit her face and warm her frozen body. Adora let out a contented sigh, closed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair. 

Things felt a lot better when she didn’t have to be outside to deal with them. Didn’t have to be on a freezing cold muddy soccer pitch getting tackled against her will. Especially not by Catra. The absolute lowlight of any day would have to be Catra’s lanky frame crashing into her like that. Plus she was deceptively strong; she’d managed to hold Adora back with little to no effort and annoyingly hadn’t even shown off about it- which was unusual for Catra. What was that look in her eyes when she’d finally got Adora to snap? Joy? Excitement? It was probably because she’d managed to get Adora into trouble. It was no wonder the Etheria captain lost her temper with her opponent so often when it seemed that Catra would do literally anything to make Adora agitated. 

Adora’s mind was wondering and because next thing she knew she was thinking about Catra’s stupid two-toned eyes and her stupid face and how much she hated the girl and her stupid lanky frame. She was just so impossibly slim and sleek and agile. Adora reckoned that she could have been part cat in another life. The way she ran, expertly weaving in and out of players, the precise shift of her hips to avoid her sliding on the mud as she sprinted down the pitch today. Her perfect balance shown in her taut thigh muscles as rainwater splashed off her legs, dripping down her thighs, the small, defined muscles rippling under- and then Adora opened her eyes and felt her gut drop with guilt because she had caught herself picturing Catra’s body AGAIN. 

It didn’t happen often and Adora was certain it was just out of jealousy and the mutual hateful obsession the two girls had for one another. But it still got her weirdly flushed for some reason and, embarrassed, Adora slammed the shower off, giving herself a minute to drip dry. No more thinking about the enemy for now. She had to save that energy for defeating the Horde in the tournament tonight.


	3. Chapter 3

Bow was announcing the tournament details on the soccer pitch, so Adora pulled on an Etheria team hoodie, a pair of soccer shorts and tied her hair into a ponytail as she always did for a match, and headed there ten minutes before the announcement so she could see her team. 

When she arrived Glimmer and the rest of the Etheria girls were already there, loosely mingling with the Horde team. She made eye contact with Glimmer and grinned, jogging toward her friend.

“ADORAAAA!” Glimmer cheered, handing the team captain a beer.

“How’s it hanging Glimmer?” She asked, pulling the tab on the beer and taking a sip. Glimmer shrugged and gave a timid grin.

“Not too low if you catch my drift. The team are ready to pull a win tonight Adora. No pressure but we’re counting on you.” She half joked, slapping Adora on the back. The blonde nervously chuckled but was almost immediately cut off when she was distracted by Catra’s arrival. She barely got to see the other captain (or see if Catra had seen her) before the Horde team swamped their captain in a huge group doggie pile. Glimmer rolled her eyes and took a sip of her beer.

“Bunch of showoffs” she muttered thickly. Adora raised an eyebrow and nodded.

“And a half. It’s okay though Glimmer. We’ll set them straight tonight, I promise you.”

Just as Adora’s team had come to huddle together, pushing her to the front, there was a sharp whistling sound over the boisterous cheering of the Horde. Immediately they all scrambled to their feet, and the two teams separated. At the front appeared Bow, proudly stood on a plastic crate. Almost instantly silence fell over both groups, save for a few excited whispers and then Bow spoke, glancing down to a clipboard in his hands.

“Good evening teams, I trust you’ve had a good night so far?”

Bow was met with a collection of cheers and whistles from the somewhat tipsy crowd of girls in front of him, and Adora smiled as she saw Glimmer enthusiastically clapping and whooping next to her. Bow grinned widely and waited for the noise to die down before he began again.

“I'm glad you came to join me! So as most of you know by now, unless you’re a freshman, in which case- good luck- this is the annual head to head of the college soccer teams. Each year I pick a mystery event in which both teams will compete and the winner gets a big pack of beer and some bragging rights. Both teams should, in theory, get a good time.”

More cheering and whistling from the group at this, and a few beer cans held up in appreciation.

“Before I get into the rules, I’m sure you’re all eager to hear what you’ll be doing this year-“ Bow began before being interrupted. 

“ARE WE GONNA GET ADORA AND CATRA TO STRIP OFF AND WRESTLE?” someone hollered, and both teams broke into raucous laughter. Adora blushed furiously and stared intensely at the ground, sneaking a glance at Catra who was lightheartedly laughing along with her team and shaking her head a little. God she wished she could keep her cool like that. Bow stifled a laugh and raised his eyebrows at the source of the outburst: the Horde’s tallest and most intimidating player, Scorpia.

“Very funny Scorpia,” He replied “But as much as I’m sure you'd love to see that, sadly not. No, tonight…” He paused emphatically, rooting around in his pocket. 

“Both teams will be wanting to get a hold of THIS… ” Bow lifted a small, neon pink piece of fabric, littered with glowing hearts into the sky above both groups. Adora raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, so, this evening we’re going to be doing a head to head in capture the flag” Bow announced. Both teams broke out into furtive whispers which were dispersed by Bow shushing them until there was quiet once more.

“So, the rules are as follows. I have hidden a flag identical to this one on the college campus somewhere. It’s not easy to find so bare that in mind. The first team to find the flag and bring it back to me here wins. What this  _ does _ mean is that once the flag is found the game is not over. The team who finds it must place the flag in their back pocket hanging out so everyone can see it. The game then becomes similar to tag, where other team members of the opposing team may steal the flag and claim the victory for themselves. The game ends when I receive the flag. Do not attempt to hide the flag or you will be disqualified. Do not leave the college campus or you will be disqualified. DO NOT,” Bow paused with a pointed look at Catra and Adora. “Fight eachother physically or surprise surprise, you will be disqualified. And lastly and most importantly, treat this as fight club. Tell nobody and don’t get caught. When I blow the whistle the game begins. Are we all clear?”

Both teams nodded and looked up at Bow expectantly.

“Team captains, step forward.” Bow called. Adora swallowed her nerves and stepped forward confidently; she had to make her team look strong. Catra stepped forward as well and then they were face to face, Catra staring at her smugly. 

“Any last words?” Bow asked. Catra glanced at him and nodded.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Just wanted to make it clear that me and my girls are really sorry for the beating you're about to receive. Not even your pathetic fighting tactics will pay off tonight Adora.”

The Horde gave a few whoops and Adora glanced to her team nervously. Glimmer and Mermista were loudly booing the Horde and the rest of her girls were looking at her expectantly and shaking their heads. Adora fought off the stammer burning its way up her throat before she spoke, her eyes cold with steely determination. 

“Very well Catra. I hope you enjoy the win from earlier while it lasts because you're about to get a taste of how it should be. Enjoy being at the bottom.”

Etheria’s team cheered and clapped but Adora swore she saw Catra and Scorpia scoffing at her final statement. Of course. How mature to turn it into a sex joke. Adora rolled her eyes and tensed her jaw and glanced to Bow who raised a hand to bring silence once more. 

“Well there we go. Good luck ladies, be careful, be kind and most of all have fun. Remember not to lose your heads. The game begins at the whistle.”

And with that Bow blew on the whistle around his neck and the two teams sprinted off of the pitch and onto the campus. 

The game had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

_ “This was so damn stupid” Adora thought to herself as she swung her leg over the window, and precariously balanced her weight to peer inside. The room itself was a void of black, the tealight of the pitch floodlights several buildings behind her barely illuminating the edges of the oak furniture pristinely organised inside. As far as she strained her eyes she couldn't see anything on the desk but the light that reflected off of the metal label adorning someone's name.  _

_ Adora knew she would be expelled if she was caught, and who knew what kind of alarm systems they had in a room as important as this? She shouldn't be here: not even Bow would be dumb enough to- _

_ Oh.  _

_ A glow, in the corner of the room. A neon pink flag shaped glow. And then Adora’s eyes widened because she was right? She'd actually been correct!? Before she could think she was throwing herself over the window and something inside was moving and then she was landing on something warm, and bony and there was a lot of yelling.  _

_ And then it all went wrong.  _

——————

After Bow blew the first whistle, it hadn't taken long for Adora’s motivation to run dry. 

She split her team into 5 pairs and sent them to the different ends of the campus, taking care to cover as much of it as she could. She knew Bow wasn't likely to hide it somewhere obvious so she sent her team to check the more hidden parts of the college (Perfuma seemed more than happy to be scouring through the college’s kitchens as it looked like Scorpia was headed that way too) and left herself as the one without a pair, and made a beeline to poke around the bushes and trees at the edge of the grounds. She was alone here and could hear the vague jeers and shouts of the two teams in the distance, doing an appalling job of “secretly” searching the grounds. 

Though she knew she needed the win for her team, Adora wasn't feeling up to this tonight. Every bone and muscle in her body was screaming from her collision with Catra earlier, and her pride was hurting even more. She was angry and tired and needed a break from everything and a well earned night of feeling miserable in bed. Winning one game of capture the flag wasn't going to remove the issues she had with Catra. 

Being the one holding a neon piece of fabric at the end of this wouldn't make up for all the agony of this soccer season. It wouldn't bridge the rift between both of the colleges teams. 

These teams of girls used to be best friends, and now Adora could count on two hands the rivalries like her and Catra’s that had formed within the last two years. Catra was on her mind far too much and it was getting unhealthy. She'd become obsessed. 

That's how Adora explained things anyway. The constant thinking about Catra and her stupid smug face. The hot aggravation when her name was mentioned. The nights under hot sheets, hands between her legs when her mind would unexpectedly throw images of Catra’s head between her thighs that sent her tumbling over the edge, body shaking and mouth spilling over with moans of her sworn enemies name. Obsession. The guilt ridden minutes afterwards when Adora would consider quitting her position as soccer captain, then scolding herself for even thinking about giving this up because of Catra. Explaining away her mind's actions as getting confused between lust and hate. She daren’t even use the word love to describe the emotions she felt toward that cocky, arrogant, stuck up little-

She was so in her head about everything to do with Catra and it was to the detriment of her team and Adora hated it. 

What was it Bow said?” She muttered to herself as she aimlessly kicked a long patch of grass. “For us girls not to get into our heads”. And then Adora froze mid kick and narrowed her icy blue eyes.

She knew where the flag was. 

Or she thought she did, but surely not, Bow could never have gotten away with it, or left a clue that obvious right under the noses of the teams. Could he? Adora could vaguely hear most of the competing teams laughing and whooping near the tall security towers and campus living quarters. That meant it'd be easy to get there without being followed. This was a total risk but it was so Bow to do something this stupid. She knew, she just knew deep down that she had a shot. 

Fast forward and Adora was haphazardly clambering through a window, specifically the room belonging to the principal, for the flag. And then she was landing on something. 

Or rather, someone. 


	5. Chapter 5

There was a yelp, and an elbow in Adora’s face in the darkness. Adora grunted and heaved the person off of her, sending them sprawling into a metal cabinet, which crashed into the wall. Adora’s heart was hammering, and she froze still, cowering by the desk. She heard the person try to scramble up on their elbows, only to hit the metal cabinet again and growl in frustration. As if to round it off, something heavy fell from the cabinet onto the person and as they cursed in pain, Adora realised with horror who it was. 

It was Catra. 

Adora’s stomach dropped. Of course it was Catra. Of all the people she'd have to fight the flag for it would have to be the rival captain of her team's sworn enemies. In the time Adora’s brain had allowed her to run through eighteen scenarios (all of which ended with her enemy face-down in the dirt outside and Adora sat triumphantly on her teams shoulders, carrying the neon flag to victory) Catra had managed to haul herself onto her feet and was making a move for the flag. Adora was startled back into animation and quickly pulled herself upright using the side of the desk, throwing herself towards the flag. 

“Stop right there Catra, that flag is mine!!”

And then Adora suddenly had the upper hand because the Horde’s team captain had stopped in her tracks upon realising who she was inside the room with. Using Catra’s apparent shock and confusion to her advantage, Adora made a lunge for the flag and managed to grab it, only to have her arm snatched by the Horde captain’s iron grip. 

“Hey! You give that flag back Adora, I won that fair and square!”

Adora snorted incredulously and tugged her arm free, her eyes straining in the darkness to see a clear path to the window. 

“Uhh? You did NOT Catra? I'm holding this flag in my hand and I didn't cheat so your loss. I'll see you at the afterparty sucker.” and with that Adora turned and ran toward the window, only to find a pair of arms wrapping around her waist like a python and pulling her back. 

“Nuh UH Blondie- I found the flag first and I was the one in here first too, so I think you'll find that flag’s MINE.” Catra demanded, using the few seconds of Adora’s irritation and shock to snatch the flag clean out of her hands, promptly letting go of her waist and pushing her aside to get to the window. 

Adora was having none of it. Once again her temper was getting the better of her, stirred up especially by Catra using her speed advantage to just evade her. Adora wasn't going to take that. She was a fighter and no stupid, irritating, good-smelling (oh so good smelling) soccer captain was going to tell her otherwise.

“GOD Catra why do you have to be so damn IMMATURE!” Adora spat, deciding to throw all caution to the wind, and brow knitted, shove Catra in the chest. Her opponent stumbled back a few steps but Adora saw Catra step back toward her, closer this time so that she was squaring up to Adora in the vague glow of the pitch lights outside the window. 

“Kinda rich coming from the girl whose insisting on starting playground fights with me, huh Adora?” Catra mumbled silkily, her face inches away from Adora’s. 

Adora didn't want to fight Catra. That was never her intention, but she figured the only way she had left to assert any kind of dominance was to get that flag. By any means necessary. And with that in mind, Adora did the sensible, mature thing. This was to tackle Catra to the ground, by a miracle only knocking over a wastepaper basket. Catra grunted and Adora was left straddling her waist, trying hard to ignore the flutter that rose in her stomach and instead focusing on wrestling the flag from Catra’s grip. 

“Adora let go you psycho!” Catra strained as she tried to push the other girl off of her.

“Over my dead body- I'm done with you humiliating me.”

“I think you humiliate yourself Adora. Give me the god damn flag!”

“I only humiliate myself because you PUSH ME until I DO. And no, YOU give me the flag you… you… You PISSWEASEL”

Catra couldn't contain a laugh from spluttering out of her lips and she paused for a second to look at Adora. 

“Pissweasel? Really?”

Adora was just about to snap back a cutting remark when a beam of light practically blinded her from outside of the window. She had no time to react before Catra was grabbing her by the lapels of her hoodie and yanking her body down so that she was lying flat on top of the Horde captain. 

Fuck they were close. Adora could see every mark on Catra’s face. She could see the tiny scar across her left eyebrow and smell her faint perfume, almost lost behind a thin veneer of sweat. That feeling in her gut was back. 

“Catra what are we DOING down he-” Adora hissed, but was cut off by a warm hand covering her mouth and a sharp shush in her ear. 

The beam of light from outside was swinging across the room and Adora managed to suss out that it was emanating from a torch. She and Catra were piled behind the desk so were barely visible, so long as they kept still. 

“WHOSE IN THERE?!” Came a gruff shout from outside. It was the campus security guard. 

“I KNOW YOU RUFFIANS HAVE BEEN RUNNING AROUND THE CAMPUS TONIGHT!!!” he added for good measure. 

Great, Adora thought to herself. Someone gave the game away. She and Catra refused to reply, hoping that their makeshift hiding place piled on the floor behind the desk would suggest that nobody was in here. The security guard was still roaming the room via torchlight from outside and for once Adora could feel that Catra was scared as well. Both girls were breathing rapidly, trying to exhale as quiet as they could, but Adora’s heart was hammering so fast that she was certain the security guard would hear. 

Thankfully, after a painful few more seconds (which Adora felt lasted for centuries) the security guard made a gruff huffing sound and mumbled something about “kids these days”. Adora, with a sense of dread, could only watch in silent horror as he pulled the window up, locked it and turned away, the light of the torch disappearing with his footsteps into the night. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Oh my god tell me that didn't just happen.” Catra said from beneath her, her voice unusually steady. 

“Um…” Adora absently replied, longingly staring at their now locked route out.

“Jesus that actually did just happen.” Catra muttered, stunned. Aware of being on top of her, Adora scampered off her chest, immediately pulling herself up to look closer at the window. 

“This isn’t locked right?” she whispered to Catra. Adora desperately wrestled with the window latch to no avail. 

“We just watched him LOCK IT Adora. It's obviously SHUT.” Catra sighed and sat up. 

“Try the door.”

Adora snorted and raised an eyebrow. 

“You don't seriously think we're locked in here right?” she asked her rival. Catra paused and Adora could vaguely make out a glare in the steely reflection of her mismatched eyes. 

“Adora. Just try the god damn door.”

Adora sighed and grumbled but stomped to the door regardless. She glanced over to Catra as she reached for the doorknob, making sure the other girl wasn't making a move for the flag while she was distracted. Safe in the knowledge that Catra was too interested in if they could leave to be worried about the flag, she smugly reached for the handle and-

Oh. She gave it another jiggle. Nothing, no budge. She gave it a harder tug, panic beginning to set in and threw her weight against the door. 

“It's locked…” Adora squeaked. 

“It's WHAT?!”

“LOCKED Catra, it's Not OPENING”

Catra incredulously stood up and in disbelief tried the door herself, to the same results as Adora. With a defeated cry she kicked the door and tried to hide the hiss of pain she let out. 

“You're right. It's locked” Catra huffed, folding her arms and turning to face away from Adora. The blonde rolled her eyes and chose to ignore Catra in order to try and find possible exit routes. 

“Well NOW what are we gonna do?” Catra hissed. 

“How am I meant to know?!”

“Well you got us into this mess Adora”

Adora whirled around to face Catra again, her arms out wide and her expression betraying some exasperation. 

“MY fault??! If you had just let me have the flag- which was mine by the way- the guard wouldn't have heard us and I would be back with my team right now celebrating.”

“Oh PLEASE,” Catra smugly replied “without me you wouldn't have even found the flag. You probably followed me here. You're not the sort to think for yourself too much it'd seem.”

Adora hammered her brow into a glare and tried to bite back a malicious reply, but it seemed something venomous was controlling her tongue and she couldn't stop herself from retaliating. 

“Kinda rich coming from the team captain who learned every trick she knows from me. How does it feel to be riding the Coat-Tails express Catra, huh?”

Adora could have swore she heard Catra growl and inexplicably, some twisted part of her lit up with joy. Catra stepped closer, her face lined with fury. 

“This is real big talk coming from the girl who was pinned under me into the dirt earlier today” the Horde captain spat. Adora was starting to lose control of what little composure she had left and moved forward too, squaring up to the smaller girl, her breaths calm and her voice intimidatingly steady. 

“You fancy trying that manoeuvre off the pitch Catra?” Catra snorted, looking Adora up and down.

“What, so now you want me to pin you down when we _aren't_ playing soccer?” The blonde tried to hide her blush and rolled her eyes, immediately jumping on the defense. 

“No. I'm calling you a coward. You only were willing to give it a go once you were certain I wouldn't see you coming. Are you really that weak that you'd only come for me while I'm completely SENSELESS? It's a pretty low blow Catra but it says a lot about your playing skill. ”

And then, just like that, the tightly pulled elastic band holding together Catras composure sharply snapped and she shoved Adora in the chest, launching into a rant. 

“Oh and wouldn't that make you miss Perfect huh? The unbeatable Adora! How could I forget that I could never come close to her god-like level unless she's at her weakest. You can talk as much shit as you like about my soccer abilities but just remember every day of my god damn life I have to listen to the sound of everyone licking your stupid, perfect ass and to be real with you, I'm sick of the sight of you. You don't know shit Adora. You don't know about soccer, and you certainly don't know me.”

Adora didn't know why it stung so much, but the comment sent her reeling. For half a second she felt winded and backed away from Catra, hurt clouding her expression. 

“is that… Is that really what you think of me?” she said quietly. Adora knew her rival was capable of saying some mean shit about her but this kind of truth felt like a punch in the gut. Catra became suddenly aware of the impact of her words and she swallowed nervously, her eyes fixated on the floor.

“I uh,,, I'm…” Catra faltered and turned away from Adora. 

“Can we just find a way out of here Adora?” she asked. Adora glanced at her, hurt still wracking her body, but turned her focus back to the room. 

“There isn't a way out. Not without breaking anything.” she mumbled angrily. 

“Why can't we smash a window?” Catra asked, picking up the nearest chair. The blonde simply fixed her with a deadpan glare.

“You still wanna be Horde team captain?” she asked. “if we get found out for this you can kiss your position and the cup goodbye Catra. We're stuck in here.” Catra dropped the chair and sighed. 

“Great. Couldn't think of anyone better to get stuck in here all night with.” she said sarcastically, before throwing herself onto the small Pleather couch that faced the desk. 

“Dibs I'm sleeping here.” the Horde team captain added for good measure. Adora rolled her eyes. 

“Sure whatever you want.” she replied coldly, before sitting herself down against the desk and opposite catra, who had stretched herself out and shut her eyes. 

What had she been thinking earlier, all those moments of blushing and that feeling in her stomach for Catra. All of that had been so…immature. So reckless. The girl hated her in cold blood and fair enough. They were enemies and Adora shouldn't have expected anything less of the Horde captain. Silently she closed her eyes and tried to ignore the painful ache across her body. This night was going to last forever. Oh well, at least she could try and get some sleep and forget all about this come the-

“Hey, Adora?”

Adora sighed and opened her eyes. 

“WHAT catra?”

The girl was lying, facing her on the couch, eyes open. 

“I don't think I can sleep. I don't like new places and the light from outside is weird.”

“You didn't even try.” Adora grumbled, closing her eyes again. 

“Okay. Maybe I don't like new places and the light from outside is weird and also… Maybe I kinda felt… " Catra paused, glancing to Adora. Adora opened her eyes and felt her heart pound. It felt like Catra was going to say something important. There was a moment of quiet before the Horde captain seemed to snap out of whatever daze she was in and shook her head, clearing her throat. 

"Nevermind. I just don't like it here." Catra mumbled. Then silence.


	7. Chapter 7

"How  _ did  _ you find the flag if you didn't follow me Adora?" Catra asked eventually, clearly trying to diffuse the painful silence. Adora sighed silently to herself and caved in to the small talk- anything was better than wallowing in the tension filling this room. 

"I heard Bow's clue about us losing our heads or whatever. The British word for principal is 'head'. I just guessed from that that it could be in here."

Catra looked bashfully at the couch she was lying on and nervously picked at the stitching. 

"Oh."

"Why, how did you find it?" Adora asked, suddenly suspicious. Catra coughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck. 

"Oh uhh.. I just. Guessed, same as you." 

"Oh my god you're lying aren't you? You cheated?!" 

Catra hastily pushed herself up so that she was sitting on the couch. 

"No!!! I'd never cheat!" she snapped back. Maybe she'd replied a bit too quickly. Adora just fixed her with her best steely gaze and watched Catra silently fidget until she broke. 

"Okay FINE I kinda got Bow to  _ accidentally  _ tell me. He's too kind and way too easy to trick so really it's his fault." she said, her face betraying the optimistic tone of her voice. Adora just rolled her eyes. 

"That's just so typical of you Catra jesus christ. Wasn't it enough to win against our team today? Is it really necessary to get one up on me at any cost?" 

Catra frowned. 

"Look… My team put a lot of expectations on me. I have a lot to live up to and if I don't win these things they'll just hate me and I don't think I could deal with that."

"What and it's any different for me?" Adora replied in disbelief. Catra didn't respond, just tripped over the beginnings of words.

"I really needed this win tonight after the fight this morning Catra. My team are starting to lose faith in me." Catra snorted and raised a sceptical eyebrow. 

"It's not exactly like I  _ asked _ you to jump on me." 

Adora ignored the opportunity for a poorly timed double entendre and barrelled ahead. 

"That's just the thing Catra, because you were. You may not have said the words ' _ fight me'  _ but the way you acted, the things you said to me were all daring me to do it. Don't start acting like you're so innocent when you spend every single week finding new ways to push me until I break, because it's destroying both of our team's chances!"

"Okay, so maybe I  _ was _ asking for it. Maybe I like it when I see your resolve crack. Maybe I like the attention. Maybe… Maybe I cheated because I wanted to impress you Adora."

Silence. Adora hated that she felt herself soften at that, but Catra was quick to blush and glance over to her. 

"Not in that way. I uh… You're my opponent Adora, of course I want you to think I'm good." 

_ Not in that way.  _ Despite the fact that she felt her heart drop, Adora hesitated, and finally reached an arm out to awkwardly rub Catra’s shoulder. 

"You know what, don't worry about it. I'm happy to know that at least I won fairly." Adora said with a small grin. Catra looked up and smiled back. 

"But you didn't win."

Adora groaned in frustration and put her head in her hands as she laughed. She glanced up at Catra quickly, expecting some snide comment about her laughing at one of her jokes, but nothing came. The silence caught her off guard, and instead, when she did glance up, she was thrown even further off guard when she saw the horde captain's expression was soft and warm. Kind, dare she say. 

"You know, I've spent all this time hating you but I never actually bothered to get to know you." Catra murmured. Adora glanced away, suddenly getting the feeling that just by looking at her, Catra was reaching into her mind and trying to pick her apart. Adora huffed and folded her arms.

"I thought you had me all sussed out Catra. All that talk of people kissing my ass. Surely there couldn't be more to me than that prissy, perfect, prep-school bitch."

Catra raised an eyebrow, her expression unforgiving. 

"I mean, sure, you're all of those things-" No reply from Adora. "I'm  _ kidding  _ Adora. I'm guessing there's more to you than that. That stuff was… I don't know, most of them were empty words. I was mad at you. I want to know about you Adora," Catra hesitated, pausing to glance up at Adora. "I need to know you."

_ I need to know you _ . Adora hoped that meant as much as it did in her head. Not want.  _ Need _ . God it felt good to hear that Catra needed something of her. She wasn't sure why. Part of her thought back to the hatred she'd felt towards Catra this morning; pinned down in the dirt and screaming at her. She'd hated this girl for a very long time, and Catra had gone out of her way to make her feel like the dirt she was pushed into far too many times. Another part of her brain reprimanded her though, pointed out all the flutters in her stomach, pointed out her eagerness to impress, unfortunately reminded her of every night in bed where she had thought of Catra just as she pushed herself over the edge. Adora swallowed and bit back nerves. She wasn't nervous. Usually she was the most confident and upbeat person on her team. Why did Catra  _ do _ this to her? As Adora stared into Catra’s mismatched eyes, she felt the negativity melt away. Maybe it was time to give friendship a chance. Maybe it was time to bare all. 

"What do you want to know about me?" Adora finally spoke up. She could have sworn she saw Catra actually grin. Not even in a forced way. Catra tilted her head to the side and placed a finger to her chin in thought. That was infuriatingly cute.

"Hmmm lemme think Blondie…Oh! I know! How did you get into soccer?" she asked, relaxing her position on the chair so that her arms spread across the back and one leg remained up, pressed to her chest. Adora was blown away by the body language alone. Catra was… Comfortable around her? No she was reading into it too much, surely. 

"Uhhh, well my dad actually used to play soccer for a big league until he broke his leg. I don't see too much of him but he pretty much shaped my childhood into this. It's something I'm good at and he definitely wants it to be my job at the end of all this. Guess it was just something I was destined to do." Adora shrugged. Catra snorted. 

"You think  _ that's  _ destiny? Adora you're following your dad's dream, not yours?!" 

Adora could already feel herself getting defensive. 

"Hey, just cause it's something he wants me to do doesn't mean it's something I hate! I love soccer. It makes me happy, it makes me… I don't know Catra, I'm good at it okay?" Adora huffed, folding her arms. Catra just laughed, but on seeing Adora's frustration tried to calm her down.

"Okay, okay I didn't mean it. If that's your dream then that's cool. And I guess you are at least kinda good at soccer." 

Adora tried to stop herself smiling at that. Half a compliment? From Catra? This night was getting weirder and weirder. Turning to face the Horde captain again, Adora pointed the focus at Catra. 

"Hey what about you? How'd you get into soccer?" Something unidentifiable flashed across Catra’s face for half a second and she began nervously picking at the threads of the couch again. 

"Well uhhh. It's just something I've always wanted to do. So I came and did it." 

Adora frowned. 

"There's more to it than that Catra." 

Catra looked up at Adora, thrown off guard by her confidence. She was learning. 

"Yeah, uhh, I guess there is. See, it's true. I've loved soccer since I was a kid, but I have this foster mom. I think she just fostered me for the money she makes on benefits. You wouldn't believe that woman actually. Makes me call her 'Ms Weaver' instead of mom or her first name. Crazy shit. Well anyway, she wasn't great to me growing up. Nuff said on that. Thought I should be ' _ more like other girls'  _ so when I told her soccer was more than a past time for me she flipped her shit. Told me to get a respectable job." Catra sighed, her shoulders heavy. Adora felt a pang in her gut. The Horde Captain, intimidating as she usually was, looked so much more vulnerable than she was used to.

"Anyway, I used to sneak out at night so I could play soccer with my friends and a few times she caught me and…. Well. It wasn't great. Soon as I was old enough I applied here, got the place, flipped her the bird and I've been able to follow my dream since. Happy ending I guess." 

Catra didn't look happy. 

"Jesus, no wonder you don't like losing matches. You put everything on this." Adora murmured softly. Catra smiled thinly at her. And then the ache in Adora's gut was too much and before she could fully comprehend what she was doing, Adora was up on her knees and embracing Catra in a tight hug. 

Catra was shocked at first, her body stiff and unyielding, but Adora felt her muscles relax, and a pair of warm arms wrapped around her in return. This was strange. New. Adora and Catra had spent a lot of time in close contact, but never like this. Never this tender. She could feel Catra’s shallow breaths on her neck, could smell Catra. Jesus she smelt good. She wanted to breathe in all of Catra. Drink in every piece of information she could and never stop, but instead, she let go of her, and awkwardly cleared her throat. She still hadn't moved fully away. They were both staring at each other. The silence was too intrusive and Adora was face to face with Catra. Just inches away. She could count every freckle. She nervously licked her lips. What did this mean? Did this mean Catra wanted her? She hadn't moved away. 

"Adora, look there's something I want to say-" Adora's eyes widened and her stomach dropped in something between agony and ecstasy. Just as Catra was about to say something important (again) she froze and stared across the room, breaking any tension that was there. Adora wildly glanced around behind her, convinced that Catra may have seen a ghost. 

"Catra are you-" 

"Did you check the desk?" 

"Did I what?" 

"The Desk. Did you open it and check for a key?" 

Adora was bewildered and shook her head. 

"Well go look then doofus!"

The Etheria captain rolled her eyes and hauled herself upright. Her muscles were tight and she was shivering from the cold. With a groan she stretched out her aching muscles and shook her head to clear her thoughts. Every part of her body was still searing with pain from where Catra had slammed into her this morning. She was pretty sure there would be bruises, and she could only hope that her muscles didn't completely seize up from the cold. 

Right. Desk. She looked on top but there was nothing save for a few folders and pens. On the side of the desk was a set of drawers, which Adora set about opening. 

The first one was locked, so Adora moved on to the second. Stacks of paper, a rubber band, more pens, what looked like a small bottle of perfume. Nothing of importance. Finally she opened the third draw. 

"Jesus christ" she whispered. 

"What is it?" Catra hissed. "You find a key?" 

Adora shook her head. 

"Nah this is way better than that."

She stood up and moved past the desk with something in her hand. Catra looked at her, confused. 

"Anyone want to explain why our principal has a bottle of Russian Standard in her drawer?" Adora asked, waving a big, clear glass bottle of vodka. Catra’s eyes lit up. 

"Oh my god you're joking?" 

"Well she has to cope with her students somehow." Adora joked, moving back towards her seat on the floor. 

"Say… it's half finished Adora. Do you think she'd notice if we… Y'know. Stole a bit?" 

Adora peered into the bottle. 

"I dunno…is that a good idea?" 

"Obviously not" Catra deadpanned. "but if I'm going to make it through this evening with no heating, it would be nice to warm myself up." 

"Well there's that I suppose." Adora muttered. She  _ was  _ pretty cold. She glanced at the empty seat next to Catra. It would definitely be warmer there. 

"You mind if I join you?" Adora asked, gesturing to the empty seat with the hand holding the vodka bottle. Catra looked surprised but nodded, shuffling to the end of the couch to make room. Adora threw herself down at the opposite end of the couch, trying to make the space between them as large as she could. They both stared at the wall in silence. 

Adora decided to break the silence and twisted open the cap of the vodka bottle. 

"I'm kinda jealous of your team dynamic Catra." she said, taking a sip from the bottle. She cringed against the manufactured taste and held back a cough. It burned the whole way down to her stomach, but it felt warm, so that was a bonus. Catra snorted and took the bottle from her hands. 

"You're kidding, right?" 

"Well… Not really. My team are like my best friends but you guys are so professional. Your tactics are genius. We don't have that same ability." 

Catra glanced at her as she drank from the bottle. The girl didn't even wince. 

"Oh Adora, Adora. What you don't realise is that we'd want to  _ hide  _ our team's weaknesses from you. We fight all the time. The only reason they do as I say is because I threaten to kick them off the team. I'm not a good captain, what can I say."

Adora swallowed quietly and gave Catra a sidelong glance

"Shit… I'm sorry Catra. I never realised."

Catra shrugged and took another sip. 

"Why would you? It's probably never occurred to you that I don't really have friends. You're so… wrapped up in this perfect world where it's easy to get what you want and have all the friends you want. You're likeable and that's the difference."

That stung more than it should have. Likeable was a compliment so why did it come across like an insult? There again perfect is a very good word for someone, but every time Catra called her perfect it felt like a slap across the face. Adora said nothing, just took the vodka from Catra and drank, this time relishing the burn from her throat to her stomach. 

Catra looked almost regretful as she watched Adora. 

"I didn't mean that Adora. I just… I find it difficult to see you get along with everyone. Maybe I want that."

Adora wasn't sure if she meant friendship in general, or to be friends with her. 

"Then make it happen Catra. You're not as hateable as you think you are. I mean look at us. We thought we hated each other and now here we are, drinking together and talking like I wasn't trying to rugby tackle you a few hours ago."

Catra gave a weak smile. 

"You really don't hate me?" 

Adora wanted to grab her by the shoulders, get in her face and scream at her that what she felt was definitely not hate. Far, far from it. It was the kind of not-hate that kept her up at night, that physically hurt, that turned her air of confidence into a nervous wreck. No. She didn't hate Catra. 

Instead she quietly shook her head. 

"How could I?" she murmured, and left it at that.


	8. Chapter 8

Adora was barely aware that time was passing. They stayed on that spot on the couch for hours, taking sips of vodka to stay warm and talking endlessly about anything and everything. Adora spoke about how for her 7th birthday, her dad had given her a signed picture of his face. He'd told her it was an  _ "investment".  _ Catra had laughed at that, really laughed. Adora knew at that exact moment she was in far too deep. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Catra’s grin, the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed. Seeing her happy had stirred something inside of Adora, and she had unfortunately come to terms with the fact that she definitely felt… Something for her opponent. She wondered what Glimmer would think about this. She pushed that to the back of her mind and found herself chuckling along with Catra. The girl had an infectious laugh. 

They'd later spoken in more depth about Catra’s Foster mom. She didn't want to go into detail but she explained how she'd felt like she was drowning when she was in front of the woman. She still had panic attacks in the middle of the night and woke up in cold sweats from nightmares where she had found Catra at the college. 

Adora realised that she hated Catra’s foster mom. That was real hate. It burned in her stomach and it was all she could do to keep calm and tell Catra that she was sorry, and there for her. 

"Here." Adora had said, writing something down on a piece of paper and handing it to Catra. Catra looked confused. 

"It's my number. Say you wake up in the middle of the night and you're freaking out. Just call me and I can talk to you over the phone or come over. You're not alone Catra." 

Catra swallowed and turned away with the paper in her hand, taking a sip of her drink. Adora could see Catra was trying to fight off tears but played along and ignored it. 

They had talked about their teams and their tactics. By this stage they realised they had drunk a noticeable amount of vodka between them so put the bottle back. Adora was tipsy, but she wasn't drunk. The world was warm and Catra’s smile made her smile too. This was so much simpler than on the soccer pitch and Adora wanted to stay in this moment forever, gazing at those beautiful, piercing eyes and-

"Adora?" 

"Huh?!" Adora snapped back into reality. She realised she hadn't been paying attention to Catra’s question. Catra rolled her eyes but smiled. 

"I said how do you manage to do that crazy tackle?" 

"Which one?" Adora asked, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"Like when you scoot in and kick it one way but catch it on your foot and just like… scoop it away? That and your curveball goals are like your signature moves."

Adora bit back a grin. 

"Oh that stuff? They're just things I… know? I never had to think about it too much. But that's not to say you can't learn them. Hey, you should swing by our soccer practice one day and I'll show you how to do those moves! Then you can finally show me how you do those somehow legal slide tackles."

Catra looked sceptical.

"Wouldn't your team hate that?" 

Adora shrugged nonchalantly. She knew they would get over it eventually. 

"Okay then Blondie. It's a date."

Adora noticed how close her and Catra were sitting by the time the sun started to rise over the horizon of the football pitch outside- the creamy orange glow silhouetting the huge 'H' of the goals. Catra's face was silhouetted on one side, the other bathed in a basking orange glow. 

_ She's beautiful  _ Adora thought to herself.  _ Like really fucking beautiful.  _

Catra turned to face her and she realised she'd been caught staring, so snapped her gaze to the space on the couch between them. There was that silence again. A space that was demanding to be filled. This time it was Adora who broke the tension. 

"Hey, I uh… Had a pretty wild idea earlier." she spoke up, and Catra cleared her throat, moving back. 

"Oh yeah?" 

Adora nodded. 

"When you said about the team dynamics, it got me thinking. We've been sat in routines and the amount of relationships like ours that have been formed from hatred. It's not healthy. I mean, Christ. Look at people like Perfuma and Scorpia. Off the pitch they can't stay away from each other--there has to be something going on there by the way. But just last week they got into a screaming match on the pitch and they haven't seen one another all week."

Catra didn't reply, just tilted her head and nodded in agreement. 

"So I was thinking, maybe we should try training together. Teach everyone the stuff we know, try and cut out the exclusivity and bitching? I don't know, maybe after this cup it could be time to trade some players, really try and mix things up with our groups."

Catra raised an eyebrow.

"Well it's certainly radical," she said. Adora's heart sank. That pretty much meant a no. "but I think you're onto something Adora. It'll take some time and planning but I think this just might work." Catra smiled. Adora beamed. An idea this major gaining Catra's approval was a big step.

"Hey, Adora? I think you should know that you're pretty incredible. I know it sounds mushy or whatever but you're really good at what you do. And for what it's worth… I uh. I'm sorry. For everything."

Adora was taken aback. An apology? From Catra? That hadn't happened before, in their entire fight-ridden history.  _ Pretty incredible.  _ That's high praise from her arch enemy. Former arch enemy? Adora was willing to bet that Catra didn't hate her. 

"I appreciate it Catra. And I'm sorry too. I'm really stubborn and never really took the time to realise how strong you are. I uh…" 

And then Adora trailed off because she knew what she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to say it. Not here. Not now. 

The silence was filling the room like a crushing weight on Adora's back and with a sinking feeling, she realised she had finally run out of things to say. Both of them had. This wasn't good. There were no more distractions. There was no more procrastinating from the meaning behind this silence. She finally lifted her eyes to meet Catra's and swallowed nervously. They were close again, and this time there was no escaping it. ' _ Say you want me now.'  _ her brain was screaming, and there was a rushing in her ears like the sea. Adora realised she was terrified. She was so close to Catra's lips and she could see  _ something  _ in Catra's eyes (though what it was Adora had no idea. This girl was an enigma) but she wasn't doing anything. Did Catra want this? Did Catra want her?

And then, finally, Adora saw it, and her heart almost exploded with joy. Catra was leaning in, hesitantly, and withdrawing again. Like the tide, pulling in and pulling back. She was afraid. The great Catra, Horde Team Captain, sworn enemy of Adora was too scared to initiate this. Adora could have laughed. Gently, she placed a hand on the side of Catra's face, cradling her soft cheek. Catra leaned into it, and let Adora guide her, eyes closed. 

"Do it." Catra barely whispered. 

Adora didn't need telling twice. Gently, she leaned in and kissed Catra. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh here's the smut!

It was slow, timid and careful. But it felt right. Her lips met Catra's and it was gentle. Purposeful. Catra's lips were soft and her tongue tasted of Vodka. As Adora shifted the kiss into something more purposeful, something more passionate, Catra let out a barely audible sigh and Adora felt something in the pit of her stomach spark into life. If Catra's intentions had at first been the quiet and timid tide, then this was the waves crashing onto the shore. It was like a gun had cracked into life at the start of the race, and the two girls suddenly found they couldn't stay away from one another.

They leaned into each other, and Adora pushed further, pulling and pushing in rhythm with Catra , hoping that if she kissed her enough, then she could crawl into her skin and breathe her air. She wanted to give everything she could over to Catra, just open her mind and give her every positive thought she'd ever had about the girl. Instead, she stopped and broke away from the kiss. Catra looked ruffled, her eyes heavy lidded and filled with desire.

"Hey Adora, why'd you stop?" she said, pulling Adora back towards her and into another deep kiss. Adora moaned, and stopped herself, pulling away again. 

"Catra I… I," Adora faltered, frustrated and forced herself to meet Catra's gaze. "I think you're fucking gorgeous Catra. I always have." 

Catra smiled and kissed her, and Adora broke away to kiss her neck, licking and biting at the soft skin under Catra's sharp jawline. Catra moaned, and grinned at Adora smugly. 

"I know you do. I saw the way you looked at me."

Adora stopped and pulled away, embarrassed. Catra grabbed her hands and pulled her back towards her, pressing their foreheads together. 

"It's okay blondie, I felt the same."

Adora grinned, letting out a small laugh before she leaned in again, planting a small kiss on Catra's lips. Catra grabbed the lapels of Adora's Etheria team hoodie and pulled her down on top of her on the couch, so that she was lying flush on top of the Horde captain. This was a position she was used to. In the last day alone she'd found herself straddling the Horde captain twice. Both times she'd wanted to lean in and do something completely inappropriate, and both times she held back. Now she didn't have to, and she was overjoyed. She kept herself up using her arms, and she silently noticed Catra staring at her defined biceps with a hungry look in her eyes. Gently she leaned down and kissed up Catra's neck, capturing her ear gently between her teeth. Catra grabbed her back and suddenly, Adora found a thigh pushed between hers. She couldn't stop herself from moaning as it pressed into the heat of her cunt. 

"Jesus fuck Catra."

"You like that? Cause I think there's a few things I could show you now that we couldn't really try in training." Catra whispered, her voice sultry and dripping with suggestion. Adora's mouth was dry and she felt like she might just implode. This was like one of her fantasies come to life but a thousand times better and she was addicted. She wanted to try everything, test everything she knew to see what Catra wanted. What she liked. This was like a game. She passed the ball, Catra received. In fact, it was exactly like a game. Now she just had to play it. Leaning down, Adora gently pressed her mouth to Catra's ear, whispering gently. 

"Then show me Catra. I've been waiting so God damn long to have you."

Catra's response was immediate, delivering itself in a surprisingly high pitched moan, and a grind on Adora's thigh.  _ Shit _ . Adora wondered for a moment if they were really going to go through with this. 

"You want this right?" Adora asked. Catra gave her the softest, happiest look she'd ever seen plastered across her face. 

"More than you'd ever know Adora."

Adora wanted to scream with joy. She needed to know everything. She needed to have everything. How long Catra had felt like this. Had she (like Adora) lay awake thinking of her? Did the dreams in which she appeared make her happy she could fall asleep? 

Adora would have time for that later though, because she had more pressing matters at hand. Sitting up and shifting her legs to straddle Catra, she pulled the girls' soccer shirt over her head, revealing a grey sports bra underneath. Catra grinned and sat up, grabbing the hem of Adora's hoodie. Adora lifted her arms up to help Catra remove the hoodie, and revelled in the awed look in the girl's eyes. 

Adora knew she was physically fit. She worked out for hours each week because she found it therapeutic and it kept her in shape for soccer, but it was worth it just to see the hungry glint in Catra's expression. 

"You have no idea how long I've waited to see what was under that soccer shirt Adora. I knew you were fit but...Holy shit." 

Adora rolled her eyes and took Catra's hand in her own to place on her rough abdominal muscles. 

"Why look when you can touch?" she joked, but it was lost on Catra, who was using her hands to investigate every part of her torso she could. Eventually her hands came to rest on Adora's sports bra, and she tugged it up and over her head. Adora grinned bashfully, feeling awkwardly exposed in front of her opponent. She really needed to stop calling Catra her opponent. Her train of thought was interrupted by Catra planting a series of wet kisses down her abs to her navel, resting at the spot above her pelvis. Adora swallowed nervously and stared down at Catra's wide eyes. 

Catra gestured to her own sports bra. 

"You want mine off too?" 

Adora nodded, and watched as Catra slowly (oh so slowly) pulled the material over her head. It was thrown somewhere on the floor along with Adora's discarded clothes, and Adora was left to hungrily roam her eyes up and down Catra's body. Her breasts were small, but perky with perfect dark nipples standing erect from what could have been the cold. Or something else entirely. Adora grinned and leaned down, licking a slow line up her exposed breast, pausing to catch the nipple between her teeth. Catra gasped and writhed from underneath her, head thrown back. Adora spent a few minutes toying with her firm nipples before Catra grew restless, and grabbed a fistful of Adora's golden hair, leaning in close. 

"Are you going to fuck me or what Adora?" Catra whispered gently. Adora smirked. She was impatient and that could work beautifully to her advantage. 

"Sure," she replied. "take off your shorts."

She stood up to give Catra room, and removed her own baggy running shorts, leaving her in a pair of brightly coloured pattern boxers. When she turned around, Catra was wearing absolutely nothing. Adora blushed. 

"Oh." she said. Catra raised her eyebrows. 

"OH? Is that really all you have to say?" 

Adora shook her head. 

"No! Sorry I uh… Just wasn't expecting uhhh. You look great? You know that right?" 

Catra laughed, in part out of exasperation, and dragged Adora on top of her once more. 

"Shut up and kiss me Adora."

Adora had been with girls. None of it really had meant anything, but it meant she at least knew what she needed to do. Slowly and deliberately, she began littering Catra's slim body with kisses. She began at her breasts and moved down her torso to the dark skin of her stomach, and began the real work on her thighs- slowly licking and biting up to her cunt, and stopping, only to repeat the manoeuvre. 

Catra put up with the teasing for a short amount of time before she slid a hand neatly under Adora's chin and tilted her head up to meet her eyes. 

"Stop messing with me Adora. I need you." 

And there it was again,  _ I need you.  _ Adora couldn't describe the feeling inside of her every time Catra said she needed her. Adora wanted to tease her further but she caved in at this, and pulled Catra's legs over her shoulders so she could face her properly, and smiled to herself as she roamed her eyes up Catra's cunt. She could see slick wetness already, and felt a dampness from her boxers. Jesus christ she was turned on. Ignoring the discomfort between her own legs, she closed her eyes and planted a soft, gentle kiss straight onto Catra's clit. Catra moaned, loudly, and Adora grinned, holding the Horde Captain's hips in place as she gave one big lick, straight through Catra's wet heat up to her clit. She could taste the other girl on her tongue, and jesus christ she tasted like the salt of sea spray and sweet as honey. 

With that, she got to work, rapidly licking and sucking on Catra's swollen clit. The girl was grinding on her tongue and moaning and at some point, Adora's brain switched off and all she could think of was the right way to move her tongue, listening to Catra's moans to work out what she wanted. The rest of her mind was intoxicated with the noises, smells and tastes of the girl she'd wanted for so long. Then, all of a sudden, she was cut off by a rough hand pulling her head up by the hair and a small whine escaped her mouth. Her chin was slick with Catra's wetness, and as she looked into the girl's eyes she saw something deep there. This was more than lust and Adora felt her heart surge with intense feeling for this girl. 

"A-Adora. I want you. I want you inside of me." Catra murmured, through rapid breaths. Adora grinned, and nodded, leaning back down to lick Catra's cunt again. This time though, she extended a finger and carefully slid it into the girl's heat, up to the knuckle. Catra let out a low, animalistic moan, and Adora quickly slid in another finger before beginning to fuck Catra. She was fast and careful as she continued the rhythm of her fingers and tongue, and it wasn't long before Catra's moans were louder and more regular. 

"Oh god… Oh my god fuck yes Adora…"

Hearing her name, said like that did something to Adora. Spewing from the lips of the ragged breathing, blushing girl above her. Adora saw her red tinted cheeks and the sweat on her face and realised that she had to admit it. This was love. Yes she loved Catra. And that was it. She curled her fingers and felt the muscles around her tighten, and finally, perfectly, Catra came undone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoops more smut SORRY

Catra moaned and her body shook as she uncontrollably called out Adora's name. When she was done, Adora sat up and wiped Catra's slick off of her chin with a smug grin. Catra was a vision, strewn across the couch and panting for breath, a sheen of sweat coating her chest and forehead. Adora scooped her up and pulled her into a tight hug, pressing their foreheads together. She laughed into a gentle, tender kiss and Catra laughed back, showering her face in small, soft kisses. 

"Adora that was… You were amazing. I could do that every day. All day. You're free tomorrow right?" she joked, grinning. Adora nodded through a laugh and captured Catra's lips in another lingering kiss.

"Mhm…" Catra hummed softly. "you taste of pussy." 

"Don't you taste good?" Adora muttered silkily. The Horde Team Captain smiled and slid a hand up Adora's thigh, grazing her wet cunt over her boxers. Adora gasped and let out a small moan, glancing up at Catra. She hadn't focused on it before this point because she was so overwhelmed by Catra, but now her need was desperate. Swallowing nervously she glanced up and met Catra's gaze. She was worried her eyes would drag her in and trap her there. 

"Can you uhh… I want you Catra." 

Catra smiled. 

"With pleasure blondie." 

With ease, Catra pushed Adora down on the couch, slipping a hand under the waistband of her boxer shorts. It took a second before Catra found her clit, but when her fingers grazed the slick entrance to Adora's cunt, she gasped. 

"Jesus Adora… you're so wet."

"You're hot Catra, cut me some slack." 

Catra grinned, and slowly circled her fingers around Adora's sensitive clit. 

"I know I am. Now shut up and let me fuck you." 

Adora grinned and sighed, finally allowing herself to fully drop onto her back. Catra was straddling her and- holy shit did she look perfect. Her slim body and perfect curved hips reflecting the light from outside. Her smile, turned up at the corners, was real and it melted Adora. Best of all were her eyes, glinting with hunger and desire. This was perfect. The way she was touching her was perfect. Adora moaned and closed her eyes. Her mind was filled with images. Images of her and Catra kissing, of Catra's exposed body as she roughly fucked her. The way Catra had stared at her body, like it was the best thing she'd ever seen. The building heat inside of Adora grew and reached a whole new intensity, all the while, Catra rubbed her clit and toyed with Adora's firm nipples. 

This was so much, but before Adora knew it, her boxers were slid from her waist and over her legs, leaving a stark emptiness from where Catra was touching her. There was naked, and then there was  _ naked,  _ and Adora blushed as Catra took her time in examining her body. 

She felt under scrutiny and squirmed, until Catra cupped her cheek in her warm hand and smiled, warmly. 

"You're gorgeous Adora. So fucking gorgeous." 

Adora couldn't quite bite back a grin and leaned in to kiss Catra again, the girl's fingers once again finding Adora's clit. It wasn't long before Adora was back in that moment again, letting the images of Catra flash through her head as the girl touched her. As her moans became louder and more rapid, Catra finally slid a finger into Adoras wet cunt, to which Adora let out a loud moan. 

"That okay?" Catra asked, gently adding a second finger. Adora nodded, her face plastered with a huge smile. Catra felt incredible inside of her, as she began sliding her fingers back and forth, pushing against the sensitive top wall of Adora's cunt. Adora didn't care what she looked like at this point - her hair was coming loose of its ponytail, she had her head thrown back and her cheeks rosy, but Catra was on top of her, fucking her, and it was so so perfect. She felt the heat in her lower abdomen build, until it reached a new intensity. 

"God I'm close…" Adora gasped, her hand finding purchase on the couch and gripping the leather until her knuckles turned white. The feeling was building and building and her mind was fragmented with flashes of Catra. Her eyes, her smile, her rage, the way she pinned her into the dirt, the way she said she needed her. It was all too much, and the intense feeling burned into white hot magma flowing through her body as she came, moaning Catra's name amongst a string of indecipherable noises and moans. 

When she was done, she opened her eyes and almost lost herself completely in Catra's beautiful mismatched eyes. 

"That was amazing Catra… shit. Thank you." Adora gasped between breaths. Catra laughed. 

"You don't have to  _ thank _ me! It's just as fun for me as it is for you." 

Adora smiled at that. This side of Catra was so different. So warm, and soft. More curves, less sharp edges, and Adora loved it. She loved her.

She was exhausted, and it seemed Catra was too, as the other girl wriggled into place so that she was laying on Adora's chest. She could feel the smaller girl's heartbeat against her ribcage, and Adora suddenly realised what all of this had been for. All of the hurt and the heartache and the anger… It had been for this moment, where she could feel Catra's heart beating against her. Adora sighed and closed her eyes. She was comfortable and at home pressed against Catra and she felt herself starting to doze off. The last thing she saw as she fell asleep were Catra's eyes closing. 

"Goodnight Adora." 

"Goodnight Catra." 


	11. Chapter 11

Waves. Waves in a murky, choppy ocean. The sun, more blinding than glittering with a thousand shades of gold. Adora smiled as her eyes focussed on the glistening pupils inches from her face. It was morning. She knew these eyes so well already; intimately well and Adora couldn't help but think it’s incredible that they were so close to her face and at the same time so soft. She was so used to facing them as they were sharpened by anger, frustration, determination. A thirst for success. She wanted to see these eyes like this all the time. All soft edges and full of admiration.

Not fury.

Not hatred.

Something toeing the line but the blatant opposite. Sculpted from clay rather than chiselled from marble. She craved the love she can sense in them.

And then warm lips touched hers, searching for a response and she shut her eyes and sighed into the kiss. She’d have time to look at those eyes later.

"Morning Catra." Adora mumbled, somewhat clumsily, through a kiss. Catra didn't reply, and instead focussed on kissing her jaw, her neck, her cheeks, anything her lips could reach. Adora giggled, and cupped Catra's face in her hand, capturing her soft lips in a warm kiss. Gently, she slipped a leg between Catra's, instantly feeling her wetness on her thigh. Just as she gasped and began slowly adding pressure to Catra's cunt, Catra stopped, suddenly. 

"What, did I do something wrong?" Adora whispered. Catra shook her head. 

"You hear that Adora?" 

Adora paused, and tilted her head to the side as she concentrated. There it was. Footsteps, moving closer and closer. 

"Oh  _ shit. _ " 

The response was instantaneous, and the two girls leapt to life, springing off the couch and scrambling to put on their clothes. Adora just about had time to rake her eyes over Catra's perfect body before she had pulled on her clothes. 

Adora knew it smelt of sex in the office, so rapidly looked around for the bottle of perfume she'd found in the principal's desk last night. She found it, and sprayed it quickly around the room, leaving Catra to choke on the intense smell.

" _ Adora! _ " Catra whined. 

"Sorry!" 

They were just about presentable when a key turned in the lock, and the door handle jiggled. 

"Oh god we're gonna be kicked off of our teams." Adora whimpered, her heart hammering in her chest. Catra rolled her eyes. 

"We'll be fiiine we can blag it." 

"Oh yeah? And how do we explain that we just  _ happened  _ to be in here all night?!" Adora hissed in panic, but the conversation was cut off by the door slamming open. Adora almost passed out right there and then. 

"What the  _ FUCK _ ?!" Catra yelled. 

It was Bow. And Glimmer. 

\---------------

The two girls stood there staring in stunned silence. 

"How did…" Adora stammered. "how did you know we were here?" 

Catra rolled her eyes. 

"I hate to break it to you Adora but I think this could have been pre-meditated." 

"What?!" Adora yelled in exasperation. "But… But the security guard? The face off? What?!" 

Bow had been staring at them intensely, trying to hold his resolve together, but all at once it cracked and he started laughing. Glimmer gave a small smile. 

"Morning Adora. Morning Catra. I hope you had a good night." Glimmer spoke up, waving a set of keys in front of the girls. Catra didn't reply, just scowled. 

"What is  _ HAPPENING?!"  _ Adora yelled, her eyes wide. Bow wiped the tears from his eyes and sighed, standing upright and grinning. 

"We set you up," he said. "this whole thing was just meant to help you get along better, and I'd be tempted to say it was fairly successful."

Glimmer nodded in agreement. Adora blushed. 

"You…. What?! How would  _ you  _ know?" she asked, defensively. Glimmer folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. 

"Well judging by the fact that you're wearing each others shirts…"

Adora blanched and glanced down. Oh god. When they were getting dressed… In the confusion she must have pulled on Catra's Horde Team shirt by accident, and vice versa. Catra stayed ever cool and calm. 

"That doesn't prove anything." she said adamantly. Glimmer rolled her eyes. 

"Sure Catra. Your shirts just magically fell on each other during the night." 

Catra finally fell silent, unable to come up with a good enough excuse. 

"So the security guard was…?" 

"God Adora, I love you but you're slow." Glimmer muttered. "Yes the security guard was Bow."

Adora felt her stomach drop. 

"Oh…" 

Catra remained sceptical and took a perch on the arm of the sofa. 

"Okay… But how did you know we'd both be here?" she asked calmly. Adora raised her eyebrows and pointed to Catra excitedly. 

"Yes! She makes a good point! How?" 

Bow raised his eyebrows and looked to Catra. 

"I literally told you where the flag was Catra. You think that was by  _ accident _ ?! I might be kind but I take these annual team face offs very seriously, I wouldn't slip up that bad." 

Adora looked to Catra smugly. 

"Hah! Bow gave you the answer but I guess he just trusted me enough to get his clue right…" she jeered, sticking her tongue out for good measure. Catra scowled and rolled her eyes. 

"I hate to rain on your parade Adora but what… Clue?" Bow asked. Adora looked up to him expectantly. 

"Y'know…'Don't lose your heads.' The British word for principal is head and so I came to… The… Head's office.." Adora trailed off, realising from Glimmer and Bows stunned expressions that this wasn't what they had expected. 

"Adora. I love you dearly but that statement was completely unrelated. Didn't anyone tell you where the flag was?" Glimmer asked, her face plastered with concern. Adora shook her head, and Bow groaned. 

"Perfuma was meant to tell you where the flag was, what happened?" Bow asked.

"Shit… she left with Scorpia early… I guess she must have forgotten." Catra muttered.

Glimmer shook her head, astounded. 

"Then it's legitimately pure luck that you both ended up here. Call it fate I guess." she added with a shrug. Adora grinned.

"Well I don't know about you three but after a night trapped in here I'm pretty tired and hungry. You wanna blow off the study slot this morning and hit the diner?" Catra asked, standing up and stretching. Glimmer looked amazed. 

"An invite… To lunch… With Catra?! Whatever you did Adora, it worked." Glimmer joked. Bow nodded and smiled. 

"I'm down!" 

Adora stood up and gave Catra a nod. 

"Sounds like a good plan! We have a lot to discuss."

As they left the office, Bow locking the door behind them, Glimmer grabbed Adora's shoulders in excitement. 

"Okay I can't wait any longer… now all this cushy stuff is over,  _ WHO WON ADORA?!"  _ Glimmer asked, glancing between the two girls furtively. Adora looked to Catra, suddenly aware they had forgotten the flag altogether.  _ Shit.  _ Glimmer was going to kill her. But instead of claiming victory, Catra reached out and took Adora's hand in her own, and the Etheria team captain smiled warmly, turning to Glimmer. She paused for a second, her eyes resting on the hand holding hers in thought before she finally replied. 

"I guess we both did." Adora muttered. And she meant it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp there we go! Hope you enjoyed the fic! Please comment and let me know what you thought so I can keep improving my work x


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